We are currently in the throes of August here in North America. The days are lazy, hot and long. Light is plentiful. In fact we still bask in more than 14 hours of daylight. And for some that still is not enough.
Today's guest, JANE SLADE, isn't saying we need sunlight less. She says we need to appreciate darkness more.
The constant barrage of man made light form our devices to how we light our homes, businesses, streets and highways is not only harming man and animal. It's changing the way we think and approach our problems.
Jane is a DARK SKIES advocate, one of a handful of people who range from professional and amateur astronomers to health experts to poets who fear not the dark but the light.
The overlighting of the planet is causing foundational changes in the behavior of animals from bats and butterflies and birds to invertebrates like zooplankton on which our lives depend. In fact, according Jane, light pollution is the biggest climate change danger we are not talking about.
In today's episode, we discuss the origins of the Dark Sky movement, the detrimental effects of too much man-made light on our biology and on wildlife, as well as ways cities and lighting designers are starting to mitigate overlighting's effects. We also discuss how too much dependence on light--the kind on our screens, TVs and in our homes--actually limits the possibilities in our thinking and our ability to come up with solutions to our problems. Jane talks about a number of things we as individuals can to to reduce the effects of too much light and how we can begin to introduce the benefits of natural darkness into our lives. For example, Jane talks about a ritual she has incorporated into her life she calls a "Dusk Reverie" where she formally acknowledges the fading light of the day and the passage into evening and eventually night.
JANE is also a writer and is working on a book about the benefits of returning darkness to our lives. She expects to release the book, entitled Starving for Darkness, sometime next year. She is a yoga instructor, writes and sings music and loves Instagram. In fact she talks about how her Instagram feed is one of her most prized and authentic creative outlets. I challenged Jane on this and she swears by it.
I hope you find this walk into darkness enlightening and enriching. Here, now, is my conversation with Jane Slade. Enjoy.
Links:
Light pollution map: https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=3.08&lat=41.7586&lon=-81.8424&layers=B0FFFFFFTFFFFFFFFFF
Jane Slade's podcast, Starving for Darkness
Jane on Instagram: Anatomy of Night
Others:
Skyglow
The International Dark Sky Association
Effects on wildlife: https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/lighting/pollution/
Website: https://christianrward.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianrward/